Students at Langara College will have to wait for Vancouver’s bike-share program, Mobi, to make its way to South Vancouver.

Currently, Mobi’s stations are focused in the downtown core, West and East Vancouver. There are no bike stops available south of Mount Pleasant, where users can pick up and return rides. However, Mobi’s target fleet is 1,500 bikes, leaving plenty of room for South Vancouver to be part of the action eventually, though not immediately.

“We’re at about the halfway point right now,” said Mia Kohout, general manager of Mobi . “There’s no exact time when [a South Vancouver expansion] may happen.”

Only 50% of the planned Mobi bike stations are currently in operation. Photo: Alyd Llewellyn

Mobi is cheaper than its competition

For students, Mobi’s price plan makes more sense than other bike rental options in the city. A one-year membership plan, which costs $129 plus fees, gives the user unlimited 30 minute rides. Day passes are also available for $7.50. In comparison, English Bay Bike Rentals charges around $38 for a day.

Chris Melican, an employee at English Bay Bike Rentals, said that although they sometimes see locals renting bikes, it is rarely on a long-term basis.

“We get mostly tourists going sightseeing,” said Melican.

Busy buses make bike sharing an appealing option

Harmandeep Kaur, a general studies student at Langara, thinks Mobi would be great for the college given the state of the local buses.